CNCF certification practice
Practise Certified Kubernetes Administrator CKA practice test — original exam-style scenarios covering every exam domain, with detailed explanations, wrong-answer analysis, and common exam traps. Courseiva helps you prepare with realistic practice questions, topic-based revision, explained answers and structured study routes.
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Key facts for the Certified Kubernetes Administrator CKA exam.
Exam cost
$395 USD / ~£315
Duration
2 hours
Question count
15–20 performance-based tasks
Passing score
66%
Validity
3 years
Delivered by
The Linux Foundation (PSI Online)
Online proctored
Yes — available
Retake policy
100% free — no account required
Everything on Courseiva for CKA is free — no subscription, no trial, no email wall.
Courseiva provides free Certified Kubernetes Administrator CKA (CKA) practice questions with original exam-style questions, detailed explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics. Courseiva is an independent platform and is not affiliated with CNCF.
One free retake included; subsequent retakes require repurchase
Question formats
The Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) is a performance-based certification from the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and The Linux Foundation that validates hands-on cluster administration skills. It covers cluster architecture, installation, configuration, workload scheduling, networking, storage, and troubleshooting. Candidates must solve real-world tasks directly in a live Kubernetes environment within a time limit, with no multiple-choice safety net. Passing the CKA demonstrates that you can maintain and operate production-grade Kubernetes infrastructure.
Official prerequisite
None — no formal prerequisites
Recommended experience
6–12 months of hands-on Kubernetes experience; familiarity with Linux command line, YAML, and basic networking concepts
Engineers who manage or maintain Kubernetes clusters in production or staging environments
Should you skip this exam?
Developers who only deploy applications to existing clusters without needing to administer the underlying infrastructure
Courseiva study tip
Practice entirely in a live cluster using killer.sh or KodeKloud labs — muscle memory with kubectl and vim is what separates passers from failures.
UK salary range
£60,000 – £90,000
US salary range
$110,000 – $160,000
Job roles that cite CKA
What certification to take next
The CKA exam costs $395 USD and includes one free retake. The Linux Foundation periodically offers discount codes (often 20–30% off) during sales events.
You need to score at least 66% to pass the CKA. Results are typically released within 24 hours of completing the exam.
The CKA contains 15–20 performance-based tasks rather than traditional questions. Each task is weighted differently based on complexity.
The CKA covers cluster architecture and installation (~25%), workloads and scheduling (~15%), services and networking (~20%), storage (~10%), and troubleshooting (~30%). You perform all tasks live in a real Kubernetes environment.
The CKA is considered moderately hard. The performance-based format means you cannot guess — you must actually configure running Kubernetes objects. Most candidates spend 80–120 hours preparing and complete at least two full mock exams on killer.sh before sitting.
The CKA is valid for 3 years from the date you pass. You must renew by passing the exam again before expiry.
Yes — you are allowed one browser tab open to the official Kubernetes documentation (kubernetes.io/docs). Bookmarking key pages and practising navigation is an important part of CKA preparation.
See how CKA stacks up against related certifications.
Practice modes
Choose a mode that matches your current study phase. Use topic practice early on and mock exams closer to your exam date.
All CKA Questions
Browse the full question bank organised by domain and difficulty.
Practice Test
Start a session with detailed answer explanations after each question.
Mock Exam
Simulate the real exam with a timed, full-length question set.
Quick 10
A 10-question warm-up — ideal for a short daily study session.
Flashcards
Reinforce key terms, commands, and protocol facts with flashcards.
Domain Practice
Focus exclusively on one exam domain to target your weakest area.
50-Question Set
Mid-length practice set covering all domains.
Full-length Simulation
Full exam simulation matching the real question count.
Exam guide
Start with a short practice session, review each missed answer, then return to the topics that caused mistakes.
Certified Kubernetes Administrator CKA questions test whether you can apply the concept in context, not just recognise a definition.
How the topic appears in realistic exam-style scenarios.
Which detail in the question changes the correct answer.
How to eliminate plausible but wrong options.
How to connect the question back to the wider exam objective.
Related practice questions
Use these internal links to move from the exam guide into focused topic practice pages.
Practise CKA questions linked to Cluster Architecture, Installation and Configuration.
Practise CKA questions linked to Services and Networking.
Practise CKA questions linked to Workloads and Scheduling.
Practise CKA questions linked to Storage.
Practise CKA questions linked to Troubleshooting.
Practise CKA questions linked to Cluster Architecture, Installation & Configuration.
Practise CKA questions linked to Workloads & Scheduling.
Practise CKA questions linked to Services & Networking.
Practise CKA questions linked to CKA fundamentals.
Practise CKA questions linked to CKA scenario.
Practise CKA questions linked to CKA troubleshooting.
Practice directory
Every practice set is a unique selection of questions — numbered tests, domain-focused sessions, and topic-specific quizzes.
Showing 30 of 65 tests. See all 65 CKA practice tests →
Timed mode
Official blueprint
Target weak areas by practising questions from a single domain. Each domain page shows all questions, difficulty breakdown, and a focused practice session.
Practise CKA questions in this domain →
Practise CKA questions in this domain →
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Practise CKA questions in this domain →
Practise CKA questions in this domain →
Practise CKA questions in this domain →
Practise CKA questions in this domain →
Term reference
These terms appear frequently in CKA questions. Understanding them precisely reduces guessing and improves scores.
Container Runtime
A container runtime is software that runs containers by using the host operating system's kernel to isolate processes, manage filesystem layers, and handle networking.
kubectl Command Reference
kubectl is the command-line tool used to interact with and manage Kubernetes clusters by sending commands to the Kubernetes API.
DaemonSets
A DaemonSet is a Kubernetes object that ensures a copy of a specific pod runs on every node in a cluster, or on a subset of nodes.
Jobs and CronJobs
A Kubernetes Job is a controller that runs one or more Pods to completion for a finite task, while a CronJob schedules Jobs to run at specific times or intervals.
Taints and Tolerations
Taints and tolerations are Kubernetes features that control which pods can be scheduled onto which nodes by marking nodes with a taint and allowing pods to declare a toleration to the taint.
Kubernetes Services
A Kubernetes Service is a stable network endpoint that connects a set of pods to internal or external traffic, providing consistent access even as pods change.
Kubernetes Node Roles
Kubernetes Node Roles are labels assigned to machines in a cluster that define whether a node runs application containers (worker) or manages the cluster (control plane).
StatefulSets
A Kubernetes resource that manages stateful applications by providing stable network identities and persistent storage for each pod.
Free study guide
The Courseiva CKA study guide covers exam format, the official domain blueprint with weights, a structured study plan, and domain-specific tips for each section. Use it alongside practice questions to build both conceptual depth and exam confidence.
Sample questions
Select your answer before revealing the explanation. These questions are original exam-style — not copied from any exam or dump site.
Trap 1: Set resource requests for 'gpu' in the container spec.
GPUs are not standard resources; they are extended resources and must be requested with their specific name (e.g., nvidia.com/gpu).
Trap 2: Set nodeName to the name of a specific GPU node.
nodeName is too rigid and does not leverage node capabilities; it also does not check for GPU availability.
Trap 3: Add a toleration for a taint that GPU nodes have.
Tolerations allow scheduling on tainted nodes but do not guarantee the node has a GPU.
Set resource requests for 'gpu' in the container spec.
Why wrong: GPUs are not standard resources; they are extended resources and must be requested with their specific name (e.g., nvidia.com/gpu).
Use nodeAffinity with requiredDuringSchedulingIgnoredDuringExecution matching a label that identifies GPU nodes.
Node affinity can force scheduling on nodes with a specific label, such as 'gpu=true'.
Set nodeName to the name of a specific GPU node.
Why wrong: nodeName is too rigid and does not leverage node capabilities; it also does not check for GPU availability.
Add a toleration for a taint that GPU nodes have.
Why wrong: Tolerations allow scheduling on tainted nodes but do not guarantee the node has a GPU.
Set resource requests for 'nvidia.com/gpu' in the container spec and ensure the node has that resource.
This is the standard way to request GPU resources via extended resources.
Trap 1: Upgrade kubelet, upgrade kubeadm, drain node, uncordon node.
kubelet upgrade before kubeadm can cause version mismatch.
Trap 2: Upgrade kubeadm, drain node, upgrade kubelet, uncordon node.
Upgrading kubeadm before draining is acceptable but not best practice; however, the order of kubelet and uncordon is wrong.
Trap 3: Upgrade kubeadm, upgrade kubelet, drain node, uncordon node.
Draining should happen before any upgrade to prevent disruption.
Upgrade kubelet, upgrade kubeadm, drain node, uncordon node.
Why wrong: kubelet upgrade before kubeadm can cause version mismatch.
Drain node, upgrade kubeadm, upgrade kubelet, uncordon node.
Draining first ensures no workloads are disrupted.
Upgrade kubeadm, drain node, upgrade kubelet, uncordon node.
Why wrong: Upgrading kubeadm before draining is acceptable but not best practice; however, the order of kubelet and uncordon is wrong.
Upgrade kubeadm, upgrade kubelet, drain node, uncordon node.
Why wrong: Draining should happen before any upgrade to prevent disruption.
Trap 1: --cloud-controller-manager
This is not a valid flag; cloud controller manager is a separate component.
Trap 2: --configure-cloud-routes
This is for route configuration, not enabling cloud provider.
Trap 3: --cloud-config
This specifies the cloud config file, but the main flag is --cloud-provider.
--cloud-provider
This flag enables the cloud provider integration.
--cloud-controller-manager
Why wrong: This is not a valid flag; cloud controller manager is a separate component.
--configure-cloud-routes
Why wrong: This is for route configuration, not enabling cloud provider.
--cloud-config
Why wrong: This specifies the cloud config file, but the main flag is --cloud-provider.
Trap 1: The Service port name does not match the container port name.
Port names are optional; if not used, matching is by port number.
Trap 2: The Service type is ClusterIP.
ClusterIP Services can have endpoints.
Trap 3: The Service targetPort is not specified.
If targetPort is omitted, it defaults to the same as port.
The Service port name does not match the container port name.
Why wrong: Port names are optional; if not used, matching is by port number.
The Service type is ClusterIP.
Why wrong: ClusterIP Services can have endpoints.
The Service targetPort is not specified.
Why wrong: If targetPort is omitted, it defaults to the same as port.
The pods are not in Ready state (e.g., failing readiness probes).
Only Ready pods are included as endpoints.
Trap 1: kubeadm upgrade node
This is used for upgrading worker nodes, not control plane.
Trap 2: kubeadm upgrade plan v1.23.0
'plan' does not take a version argument; it shows available upgrades.
Trap 3: kubeadm upgrade diff
This command does not exist.
kubeadm upgrade apply v1.23.0
This applies the upgrade to the specified version.
kubeadm upgrade node
Why wrong: This is used for upgrading worker nodes, not control plane.
kubeadm upgrade plan v1.23.0
Why wrong: 'plan' does not take a version argument; it shows available upgrades.
kubeadm upgrade plan
This shows the available versions and upgrade steps.
kubeadm upgrade diff
Why wrong: This command does not exist.
Refer to the exhibit. Error from server: error when creating "pod.yaml": pods "my-pod" is forbidden: exceeded quota: compute-quota, requested: limits.cpu=2, used: limits.cpu=1, limited: limits.cpu=2
Trap 1: The pod is requesting 2 CPUs as a request, but the quota limits…
The error says limits.cpu.
Trap 2: The pod is being created in the wrong namespace.
The error does not indicate a namespace mismatch.
Trap 3: The pod is trying to use more CPU than the node capacity.
The error is about ResourceQuota, not node capacity.
The pod is requesting 2 CPUs as a request, but the quota limits requests.
Why wrong: The error says limits.cpu.
The pod is being created in the wrong namespace.
Why wrong: The error does not indicate a namespace mismatch.
The pod is trying to use more CPU than the node capacity.
Why wrong: The error is about ResourceQuota, not node capacity.
The current total CPU limit usage in the namespace is 1, and adding a pod with limit 2 would exceed the quota of 2.
The quota allows a total of 2, and 1 is already used, leaving only 1 available.
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